On Tue, 07 Apr 1998 09:37:05 -0400 
 Martin Grossman <grossman@BBN.COM> wrote:

 > 1) Yes, I know how to create the iso file using mkisofs!
 > 2) What should be in this filesystem?
 >   a) I assume it should contain a complete root, etc, usr etc all withing 1
 >      filesystem.
 >   b) I also assume their should be files /boot and /netbsd.
 > 
 > Questions:
 > 1) should /boot be the standard /boot file?

Yes.

 > 2) what switches should be turned on/off in /netbsd so it knows the cdrom
 >    contains the root fs?

Nothing is required, here.  The SRM tells the kernel the boot device, and
the kernel just figures it out from there.  Make sure you have the CD9660
file system compiled into the kernel so it can mount the root file system.

 > 3) Or, should (like the i386 port boot floppy) the kernel contain within it,
 >    its root fs?

...you could do this if you wanted to.  This might be useful for boot-cdrom-
then-install-to-disk, etc.

 > 4) Once booted (ie from CDROM) what does netbsd use for a swap area? or does
 >    it know not to do any swapping? (PS all our systems have 512MB of mem).

The NetBSD kernel must be told explicitly to swap to something; it does no
swapping automatically.  See swapctl(8).

 > 5) What do I do for the /var stuff?  I assume /var/log/* need to be writeable
 >    and /var/run/* also need to be writable?  Do I somehow make /var mounted
 >    as a in memory fs?
 > 
 > HAS ANYONE TRIED ANY OF THESE THINGS AND GOTTEN ANY PART OF IT WORKING?

I have not actually burned a CD-ROM yet (for lack of time, and a finicky
CD-R).  I have, however, taken a CD-ROM image I created, dd'd it to a JAZ
disk, and booted that JAZ disk on my AlphaStation 600.

I haven't thought of what it would take to run the system from a CD-ROM
root.  I intend to use it primarily for installation to local disk.

Jason R. Thorpe                                       thorpej@nas.nasa.gov
NASA Ames Research Center                            Home: +1 408 866 1912
NAS: M/S 258-5                                       Work: +1 650 604 0935
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